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January 10, 2007
Rabbi Twerski in Stamford
I had the pleasure and honor of hearing rabbi-psychiatrist Abraham Twerski speak tonight at Chabad of Stamford. I've been a fan of Rabbi Twerski's writings for the last 15 years, but never had the chance to hear him.
He spoke on "Plays Well With Others: Raising a Mensch in the 21st Century." He started by defining the difference of the 21st century versus others: "We're on a hedonistic treadmill." He compared this to his own youth, back in the 1930s, when lifespans were 40 years and infant mortality was rampant.
Rabbi Twerski spoke about what separates humans from animals, noting that "intellect is not the hallmark of humanity." Consciousness and the ability to control natural urges are part of being human. He said, "Humans can make moral and ethical decisions in defiance of our bodily drives."
Once he outined the distinctions between humans and animals, Rabbi Twerski came to the heart of his presentation. He said, "A mensch is a creature who has all these unique abilities and uses them."
The way to raise mensches (both male and female) is for parents to model appropriate behavior and thwart the media images that say, "Don't be an mensch, be a sophisticate animal."
He contrasted Torah values to secular values. He made several comparisons, and the one I liked the most was that the Torah holds that "the most powerful person is one who has control over himself."
Bottom line: Rabbi Twerski packed the Chabad center in Stamford, for a good reason (the address, at 770 High Ridge Road, may have helped in a cosmic sense, given its similarity to Chabad's intergalactic headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn). If he comes to a town near you, get thee hence.
Van | 01/10/07 at 11:03 PM | Categories: Doing Jewish
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Comments
"A hedonistic readmill" is a great description of our pursuit of folly !
Paul | January 11, 2007 11:06 AM
"A hedonistic treadmill" is a great description of our pursuit of folly !
Paul | January 11, 2007 11:07 AM
is this the 1st time he has been there?
he is a realy great speaker, you should have more of him on keshertalk
kosher | January 12, 2007 01:58 AM
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